Chevrolet Bowtie Celebrates 100th Anniversary

Logo has been through more than 10 transformations

What is gold, in the shape of a bowtie, and is adorned in silver trim? If you guessed the Chevrolet automobile manufacturer’s logo – you are correct. If you didn’t, we’re shocked. Celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, the Chevy logo is one of a kind. The symbol has been through more than 10 changes, but has always kept the same shape and style. The question that’s almost as old as the bowtie itself: where did it originate?

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The Chevy symbol is known to have first appeared in 1914 from co-founder William C. Durant on the Chevrolet H-2 Royal Mail and H-4 Baby Grand. The logo is thought to have come from doodles Durant drew at the dinner table. Margery Durant, in her 1929 book My Father, made this claim in a quote:

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"I think it was between the soup and the fried chicken one night that he sketched out the design that is used on the Chevrolet car to this day," said Margery.

However, it was the widow of the late William C. Durant, Catherine, who contradicted his daughter’s claim in a 1968 interview. She claimed that the Bowtie design was inspired from a newspaper Durant read during a vacation in 1912. While reading the paper, Durant allegedly spotted a Coalettes design and shouted, “I think this would be a very good emblem for the Chevrolet.”

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Sadly, neither story can be confirmed. What can be traced is the first use of the bowtie logo on Oct. 2, 1913 in which Chevy printed its symbol on the pages of The Washington Post with the title “Look for this nameplate,” and from there it was history.

“The Chevrolet bowtie is recognized around the world and has become synonymous with American ingenuity,” said Chevrolet Chief Marketing Officer Tim Mahoney. “Whether you’re pulling thousands of pounds through rocky terrain in a Silverado pickup or commuting in a Spark EV, Chevrolet’s bowtie will always be at the very front of your travels.”

To celebrate the anniversary we put together a gallery of bowties. Which is your favorite?